


Unhealthy Professional Relationship

by bobadeluxe



Series: The Business of Pleasure [6]
Category: Fortnite (Video Game)
Genre: Attraction, Backstory, Childhood, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Fluff, Kid!Jules, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24942928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobadeluxe/pseuds/bobadeluxe
Summary: "To be fair, you just don't spend enough time with her. If you do, she'd like you much better than me.""You don't know that." Midas' laugh is bitter."You're her father.""That doesn't mean anything. Not as much as people seem to think, anyway.""I like spending time with you."Midas stops and looks up at him, puzzled.
Relationships: Brutus/Midas (Fortnite)
Series: The Business of Pleasure [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734541
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	Unhealthy Professional Relationship

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before literally every stories prior in the series.

The school playground is bustling with children playing amongst themselves while waiting to be picked up. Sounds of childlike wonder fill the air with joy; the high-pitched laughter, the rising and falling of a seesaw, the swings creaking back and forth, and the tiny footsteps prattling about. It'd be almost nostalgic, but he knows better than to yearn for the illusion of something that did not exist. Brutus never had this kind of childhood.

Jules does, however. She has everything money could buy, except perhaps her father's presence. She's well-cared for, financially, a fact that she cannot yet appreciate at this age. Kids don't understand the concept of money; they have no frame of reference for how much everything costs. They don't care either. Their wishes are simple, like ice cream, playtime, cartoons, and  _ papa.  _ Three out of four wouldn't be so bad, if the one missing on this list isn't the only thing that matters.

Brutus navigates through the playground, careful not to get in the way of the children running amok. A pair of teachers are supervising them; one of them looks up as he approaches.

"I'm here to pick up Jules," Brutus says and pushes his shades up to his forehead.

She recognizes him. He's been here before, more often than Midas would care to admit. He's also registered in the school's record as Jules' guardian, if the need for identification arises. Although it's not necessary this time. The teacher looks up into the crowd and calls out:

"Jules! Your father is here!"

The corner of Brutus' lips twitch into an almost-frown, but he stops himself from the urge to correct her. It would just complicate things and embarrass her, which isn't what Brutus needed.

Jules darts through the crowd toward them so quick he fears she might trip herself. She leaps into his arms, a big grin spreading on her face. Jules is small, but the combined weight of her, and the mechanical owl perching on her backpack, is not to be underestimated. Brutus braces for impact so he could haul her up. Ohm climbs to Jules' shoulder as she clings to Brutus, giggling.

"Hi Brutus!" Jules beams. "I miss you!"

"Yeah?" Brutus couldn't help but smile at her in return. "What, you didn't like Chuck?"

Brutus has been away on a business trip with Midas for the past week, so Chuck and a few other agents have taken the pick up duty in his absence. Midas needs to hire a babysitter, but it's not so simple in his line of work. His agents are not anywhere near qualified to be babysitters, but no babysitter is qualified to take care of someone as important as his daughter either.

"Well.. he's nice, I guess. I dunno," Jules hesitates to say bad things about him. She's a good kid.

"It's okay. I don't like him either." Brutus never talked to the guy. Their eyes met once when they passed each other on the stairs and they have been feuding ever since.

Jules giggles, delighted that Brutus would say something like that so openly. Children appreciate when adults speak their minds, it seems, since they often censor their words. It's probably for the best – there  _ are _ certain things you shouldn't speak of around a child. Brutus didn't realize it for a time, but he doesn't have a filter when it comes to kids. He said a  _ no-no word _ once, and Jules gasped so loud like it was the most scandalous thing. He's probably a bad influence on her, but he never claimed to be. Midas should hire an actual babysitter if he wants her raised right.

They talk about this and that during their way to Brutus' agency paid car. Nothing important, not to Brutus at least, and probably not in the grand scheme of things, but they mean the world to Jules. Kids are refreshing that way. Jules sees one missing sausage in her school lunch as a grand conspiracy, and treats playground scuffles between kids like a matter of life and death. Brutus wouldn't mind having a daughter like her, too clever by half and with an imagination that is only possible for a kid who's destined for something great. He gave up on that plan a long time ago though. The conventional family, the white picket fences, they are simply not compatible with the life he's living. Taking care of his boss' kid would be the closest thing Brutus could have, but it isn't bad like this.

The drive is uneventful. Jules fidgets around and makes a few comments every now and then when they are stuck in traffic, but otherwise she's content to sit in the backseat playing with Ohm. The radio she asked him to turn on does most of the talking to fill the silence. After a while, she looks out of the window and recognizes where they are heading.

"Are we going to papa's office?" Jules asks.

"Yes," Brutus replies. He's been told to bring her there. "He wants to see you."

Jules makes a face like Brutus just told her to eat her vegetables. "He's just gonna get stuck in a meeting or whatever. I don't wanna wait on him, it's boring!"

"Well.. but after that you two can go home together."

"Nope! We won't!" Jules stubbornly argues. "He will sleep in his office, and you are gonna end up driving me home anyway. Wouldn't it be quicker if you just, you know, do it?"

Brutus sighs. Midas is not taking care of himself (and by proxy, his daughter) well enough if this has become the norm for Jules. It's not his place to criticize his boss' private life though… or is it? As a bodyguard, he's responsible for Midas' well-being. Making sure that he won't die from overworking and his daughter won't grow up to resent him afterward  _ may  _ be a part of it, if he reaches.

Brutus likes Midas just fine. Well, he likes working for him anyway. And he likes Jules. It would be a shame if he has to find another job.

"You could wait in Dr. Kassandra's lab," Brutus suggests. "She would love to have you, and you will have better tools to work on Ohm than the ones at home."

Jules brightens up immediately. It's like seeing a Christmas' tree lights up. Her enthusiasm is infectious. "You really think so? Papa doesn't like it when I play with the big tools."

"No, he doesn't." Midas almost had an aneurysm when she saw her with a blowtorch. "They are not toys; you can't  _ play _ with them. But you can use them with your trusted adult, if you're good."

"Okay."

"You have to be careful, and wear protection gears."

"I always do!" Jules says, her chest puffed out with pride.

"Good, and you have to listen to Dr. Kassandra. If she tells you to stop, you stop. If something is too heavy or too dangerous for you, you will let her handle it."

"I know, dad!" Jules laughs.

Brutus blinks in surprise. His words stop on the tip of his tongue before they could come out. Silence fills the car during the awkward pause.

Jules frowns. "Sorry. Did I say something bad? I was just joking."

"No, no, it's fine." Brutus reassures her. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

They arrive at the decoy headquarters without troubles. A few henchmen — all of whom look so mundane now in their suits without the masks — greet Brutus with a nod as they passed by, but none of them paid much attention to Jules. Her presence has become a normal sight around these parts, for better or for worse. With his security clearance, Brutus' keycard allows access to Midas' personal elevator which goes up directly to Dr. Kassandra's lab (amongst other levels.)

"Lynx!" Jules hops out of the elevator into the lab. She has a habit of leaping into someone for a hug, but after she broke Dr. Kassandra's lab equipment, she is now more careful around her. (Not so much around everyone else however.)

"Aww, Jules! How are you, honey?" Lynx puts her clipboard under one armpit, so she could bend down and hug Jules with her now-free hands. "I didn't know you were coming. Look at you, you're so big now."

The first part seems directed at Brutus. On the examination table next to her is Meowscles. He wears a cuff around his held out arm, presumably getting his blood pressure tested. Various wires are attached to his body, on his pulse points, over his temples, and into his veins. The medical contraption surrounding him is, unfortunately, above Brutus' pay grade. Though deducing from the screens around him displaying his health information, Brutus would guess that they're doing their mandatory bimonthly check up.

"Am I interrupting?" Brutus asks as he approaches them.

"No, it's fine. We are just wrapping up," Lynx says, but she still looks confused to them here.

"What are you guys doing?" Jules asks. "Oh, Hello Meowscles!"

Meowscles..well, meows. It doesn't sound quite right, rough and scratchy like an intimation of a cat. His speech therapy is still not going well, then. 

Though physically he looks a lot better than the last time Brutus saw him. Meowscles is still somewhat on a lanky side; he hasn't yet grown into his impressive height, which results in his much less impressive gangling limbs and knobby knees. But he's getting there. The newly redistributed fat is slowly filling out his form in all the right places, and he looks much more comfortable. More confident. Meowscles' humanoid physique has sacrificed most of his feline gracefulness, but he makes it up with sheer muscle mass. He will only get bigger and stronger as he bulks up.

"We are checking how Meowscles is doing." Lynx releases Meowscles from the cuff. With his arm now freed, Meowscles flexes what little muscle there is for Jules. Despite his slim build, the taut muscles definition of his body is remarkable.

Lynx laughs. "As you can see, he's healthier than ever."

"Cool.." Jules stares in awe. "Can I touch it?"

Meowscles meows in affirmation. Lynx takes the opportunity while they're both getting distracted to pull Brutus to the side.

" _ Why _ is she here?" She asks in hushed voices once they get out of eyesight.

"I need you to watch over her for a while," Brutus says.

"Huh?! I'm not a babysitter, you know." 

"Neither of us are."

"I got jobs to do, besides this place is hardly safe for children," Lynx argues.

"Nowhere in this building is safe for children. It's not like we have a daycare here." Brutus sighs. "Look, it's just for the evening. I need to see the boss. Personally."

Lynx hesitates. She seems deep in thought.

"She's a smart kid. You only have to make sure she won't cut her fingers off or blow someone up."

"You're  _ really  _ oversimplifying this."

He is. "I'll owe you a favor. How about that?"

"Fine," Lynx finally gives in. "Fine. We got a deal. Just don't forget you owe me."

Brutus puts his hands up in defeat. "I won't."

They both make their way back to the center of the room, where Jules and Ohm is hanging off of Meowscles' arm like a tree branch. "Jules, we are going to play while Brutus takes care of some business. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great!" Jules grins from ear to ear, and plops back down to the floor. "Can you  _ pleassee _ help me with Ohm's wings? I think something is wrong with their joints but I dunno."

"Sure, I'll see what I can do."

Brutus takes his leave.

* * *

For the record, he did knock.

"Sir?" Brutus tries again, but there is no answer this time either. "Sir. I'm going in."

With his gun drawn out at the ready, Brutus prepares for the worst. His keycard overrides the door, and he rushes in to see…

Midas sleeping on the desk.

Brutus puts his gun back into his holster sheepishly. Well, good thing he didn't wake his boss up. This was awkward, but it  _ is  _ his job to be alarmed, and Midas doesn't normally take a nap in his office. This is new. Brutus closes the door behind him, carefully as not to make a sound. He walks up to the boss' expensive desk, just to make sure that he is asleep and not, well, dead. He  _ is _ sleeping, with his arms crossed to cushion his head, breathing steadily. He is even drooling a little bit onto the desk, but for some inexplicable reasons he finds it more endearing than amusing.

Midas looks younger than his age, albeit judging from Jules' age he was a young father, but now he looks even younger than that. He ages well, due to – Brutus would guess – a combination of outrageously priced skincare products and good genetics. In his sleep, it's hard to see him as the menacing, mysterious mastermind he tries to come across. His facial features soften as he relaxes, and his soft snoring and sleep-induced mumbles are hardly intimidating.

Not wanting to wake his boss up from the unquestionably needed rest, Brutus steps away, but not before he takes off his jacket and drapes it across Midas' back. The air conditioning here gets cold in the evening. He contemplates leaving, but it doesn't feel right to leave his charge defenseless and exposed. So he stays. There's a small couch at the other side of the room, for Midas' visitors and the likes. Brutus sits there flipping through the dog-eared business magazines, a few of them have Midas himself on the cover as the up and rising young entrepreneur. Little do they know.

When Midas wakes up, he is startled so bad he almost falls from the chair. Did he not mean to take a nap? He must be sleep deprived. That wouldn't be the first time. Midas looks up from the desk and the forgotten paperwork. He stares at Brutus, wide-eyed, and quickly wipes the drools off his face.

" _ What the _ .. Agent, how long have you been here?" He tries to compose himself, but he is still groggy. His voice is almost intelligible at first, still not fully awake.

"An hour or so, sir."

_ "An hour?!" _ Midas clutches at his temple. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Brutus shrugs. "Didn't want to disturb you, sir."

Midas groans. He tries to slick his hair back with his hands, and smooth out the wrinkles in his clothes. The result is only half successful. For a while he looks back and forth between Brutus and his desk, uncertain of how to proceed.

"Did you pick up Jules?"

"I did. She's with Dr. Kassandra."

"What? That's not a safe place for her to —"

"You can join her if you'd like." Brutus didn't mean to cut him off, but he did.

Midas gives him a blank stare. "Are you implying something, Agent Brutus?"

"Merely a suggestion, sir." He hopes it sounds like one anyhow. "With all due respect, having your employees raise your daughter may not achieve your desired effects."

"I don't remember hiring you to be a consultant," Midas snaps. Ah. Well. Brutus supposed he has that one coming. "If you would prefer that someone else take up your duty, I'd gladly oblige."

"No, sir. I like spending time with Miss Jules." If Brutus' eyes do not deceive him, Midas looks genuinely surprised. "I just think that she would like to spend more time with you as well."

"Yes, well…" Midas trails off for a second. "I know that, but I'm a busy man."

"I'm aware." Brutus cranes his neck. "You don't even have enough time to sleep properly, it seems."

Is that a blush on his beautiful cheekbones? And a stutter. "I- ahem, I didn't mean to sleep on the job. It won't happen again."

Brutus chuckles. "You don't need to explain yourself to me, sir. You are my superior."

"Still. This is unbecoming."

"You're still human."

"Allegedly," Midas smirks at his own joke. "So.. you propose that I join my daughter in Dr. Kassandra's lab for..what?"

"Quality father and daughter bonding time?" Midas rolls his eyes at him, so Brutus elaborate. "I think they're fixing Ohm's wings."

"Good god, I despise that bird," Midas blurts out. He sounds pained, and looks like it too. Brutus has to stop himself from laughing at his grimace. "The most expensive pet we've had so far, and I have a seven feet tall humanoid cat. Maybe I should sabotage them to put an end to their reign of terror once and for all."

"You wouldn't," Brutus says with a barely suppressed smile.

Midas opens his mouth as if to argue, but then he closes it. His lips curl into a small smile as their eyes meet. "No, I wouldn't."

"Are you coming, then?"

"I… there are still a few things I need to take care of," Midas says, but his heart isn't it. 

"They can wait. If they're urgent, you'd already have taken care of it."

"Fine. You've made your case." Midas gives in. Though it doesn't take much to convince someone when it's something they already want to do. Despite the evidence that may suggest otherwise, Brutus likes to think that Midas  _ does  _ try to be a good father. Call it a gut feeling.

Almost instinctively, Brutus gets up from the couch and rushes to the door to hold it open for Midas (before he even gets there.) He nods at Brutus as thanks, but then stops in his tracks before he could step out of the room.

He looks up at Brutus and frowns. "Where is your suit jacket?"

"On your back," Brutus replies with a straight face.

Midas  _ jumps. _ Did he really not notice? He looks down at the jacket as if it just appeared out of thin air, and now it's scorching into his skin. He begins to take them off.

"You can keep it if you'd like," Brutus interrupts. "Well, for the evening. I still want it back."

He expects to be turned down.  _ No there's no need _ and  _ I'll get mine from the closet, stay here —  _ but Midas just stares at him. His fingertips tracing the sleeves of his jacket. 

"May I?"

".. Yes, sir."

Midas slips the jacket on. It's ill-fitting, at least three sizes bigger from him. Probably of lower quality than his usual tailor made suit too. He doesn't seem to mind though.

Midas puts his hands into his suit jacket. "Thank you. Come. You will accompany me to the lab."

"As you wish," Brutus follows behind him.A few steps far behind as is the appropriate distance between a subordinate and his superior. "Would you like me to stay with you and Miss Jules too?"

"Please do. I.." Midas has a faraway look to him. "I think she likes spending time with you, too."

"I'm flattered."

"A lot. Maybe even more than she does with me." If Brutus' didn't know better, he would say that Midas sounds hurt.

"I suppose you will have to keep up, then. Now that you have competition."

"That's not something you should say, Agent," he reprimands, but there's no force behind it.

"Apologies, sir," Brutus says. "To be fair, you just don't spend enough time with her. If you do, she'd like you much better than me."

"You don't know that." Midas' laugh is bitter.

"You're her father."

"That doesn't mean anything. Not as much as people seem to think, anyway."

"I like spending time with you."

Midas stops and looks up at him, puzzled. If it wasn't for the mindful distance between them, Brutus would have crashed into him. "You  _ are  _ being paid to spend time with me."

"Doesn't mean I can't enjoy it too."

"You enjoy being on my payroll, maybe."

"Can't it be both?" Midas doesn't reply. "Very well. If that's what you'd like to think."

Who is he to argue against his better, anyway? The conversation is cut short as Midas continue his pace, they make their way into the elevator and down to Dr. Kassandra's lab.

* * *

"Papa!"

They find Dr. Kassandra and Jules in the workshop area of the lab, with Meowscles hovering over them from a safe distance as not to get in the way. Jules is happy to see her father, but she looks more surprised than anything else.

"I thought you were working?" She asks.

Midas looks stung. "I was, sweetheart. I'm taking the evening off."

"Oh. Cool."

"Would you like to show me what you are working on?" Midas asks, sounding almost sheepish.

"Yeah, sure! Come 'ere, papa." Midas moves closer to the workbench and leans in. "Okay, so Ohm's wings take like.. REALLY long to fold and unfold. They work fine, but I thought it could be op.. opto.."

"Optimized."

"Yep! Lynx showed me how to uh.. look, here."

Dr. Kassandra and Meowscles take their leave now that Jules' father is here to supervise. Brutus stays out of it for the most parts, except a few times when he lends them a helping hand. It's incredible to watch Jules work. She truly is a genius in the making. She lacks finesse and a deeper understanding of the technicality, but she learns fast and has already grasped the basic concepts of electronics and related subjects. Simply by obtaining information from a hands-on approach. 

It's incredible to watch Midas, too. He's a completely different person when he's with his daughter, and Brutus thinks he knows why. He doesn't care for the approval and the opinion of others, and he makes no attempt to sway anyone. Except perhaps when he instills fear and respect in his employees. This he seems above it all, cold, distant, and unbothered. With Jules he's a nervous wreck, because he actually wants her to like him. He cares what she thinks of him. He's almost a tryhard when interacting with his daughter. It's.. well, it's adorable. Which is not a thought you should have about your employer.

Brutus may not know the full extent of what Midas does, but he knows that this man is dangerous. It would be wise to be on his guard. 

But at one point, Jules asks "Hey, is that Brutus' jacket?" and Midas blushes cherry-red.

He's humanizing him, isn't he. 

He's been doing that for quite some time now.

* * *

Brutus drives them both home that night. Jules falls asleep in the backseat, exhausted after a long day, and Midas sits next to him in the passenger seat. Brutus keeps his eyes on the road, but he's hyper-aware of Midas stealing glances at him, and the too-close-for-comfort distance between them.

Brutus walks Midas to the door. He's carrying Jules, instead of waking her up. So when he speaks his voice is hushed low and so very soft, like a secret.

"Thank you for convincing me to do this."

"It's my pleasure, sir."

He could feel the pressure dropping low in the air.

"Would you like to come…" Midas catches himself. "Nevermind. See you in the morning, Agent."

"Goodnight, sir."

Brutus walks back to the car. When he drives away, Midas is still at the door, looking after him. 

Why is he disappointed? What was he expecting?

Is Midas disappointed?

He didn't even get his jacket back. Not because he forgot, but because he likes the way it looked on Midas.

He doesn't remember his dream that night, but it's probably for the best.

**Author's Note:**

> "Chuck" is Big Chuggus, but before his chuggening. He was still a human and works in Chaos Agent's department. (Whom I will continue to refer as Doctor or The Good Doctor or smth along that line.) Midas still has both eyes, and no scar. At first I thought of Jules being his sister, but daughter works better. He had Jules rather young, and he's older than he looks. However, I really like how Jules has Brutus' mask, and how The Authority has photos of Brutus as well as looking like The Grotto combining with The Agency. So I figured I want to make him a father figure to Jules. There's a theory that he IS her birth father, but I think I like it better this way cause I get two birds with one stone. They're currently not on the island.
> 
> Also, in case it seems to conflict with chocolate chips pancake, Brutus Does know Meowscles pre-island. He just didn't know how he came to be with Midas and never saw him as a kitten, and he didn't know the full details of his transformation.
> 
> I also thought of Midas having another name before he gains his power but.. I don't know. It might get confusing if I'm like 'heres fucking Matthew.'


End file.
